UK hardware sales drop 32% in first half of 2010

Hardware sales in the UK are down a heavy 32 percent so far this year.

According to data from Chart-Track, ELSPA and ISFE, hardware revenue dropped from £378 million to £256 million in the first six months of this year compared to the same period in 2009.

Software sales were down by 10 percent in the same time-frame, from £592 million to £533 million, with a total grossing on hardware and software coming in at £963 million, down 16 percent from £1.143 billion.

The figures do not includes PC games, digital distribution programs like Xbox Live or PlayStation Network or the second-hand market.

“UK consumers are still facing economic uncertainty and everyone is looking to how they can make savings, which has naturally impacted on the entertainment industry as a whole,” said ELSPA director Michael Rawlinson.

Despite the lack of digital distribution stats, Rawlinson admitted its had a massive say in how people get games now.

“Consumers are increasingly downloading videogames from websites,” he said, “and are also increasingly playing games not only on consoles, but also on their mobiles or through social networking sites, such as Facebook.

“This is proof that interactive entertainment is expanding way beyond its traditional boundaries.”